# the smell of dope? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 26, 2002, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-smell-of-dope/110908 "2002-05-26T13:25:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![scm1001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@scm1001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scm1001)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2002, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-smell-of-dope/110908/1 "2002-05-26T13:25:59Z")
Is the sweet smell one gets when smokes cannabis the active ingredient? Or to put it another way, would it be possible to culture a non smelling variety so that it didn’t smell so much and be such a giveaway? (mods: OK I am skating close to thin ice so feel free to delete - though there is a straightforward tech question in there) ---
**Author:** ![istara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e79b87/32.png) [@istara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/istara)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2002, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-smell-of-dope/110908/2 "2002-05-26T13:46:38Z")
Ah, I thought you meant the smell of STRAIGHTdope. That would be sort of musty and erudite, like bookshelves of old leatherbound tomes crammed with the wisdom of ages. ---
**Author:** ![Poloin99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Poloin99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poloin99)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2002, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-smell-of-dope/110908/3 "2002-05-26T13:51:42Z")
It would be easier and more healthy to just extract the THC which is the active ingredient. I am confident smoking pure THC will not yield the same smell. If the smell seems to be more overwhelming the usual I would file a complaint with the local drug dealer. If the fails to address the situation contact the Better Business Bureau. [BBB link](http://www.bbb.org) ---
**Author:** ![Poloin99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Poloin99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poloin99)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2002, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-smell-of-dope/110908/4 "2002-05-26T13:51:45Z")
It would be easier and more healthy to just extract the THC which is the active ingredient. I am confident smoking pure THC will not yield the same smell. If the smell seems to be more overwhelming then usual I would file a complaint with the local drug dealer. If he fails to address the situation contact the Better Business Bureau. [BBB link](http://www.bbb.org) ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2002, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-smell-of-dope/110908/5 "2002-05-26T13:58:06Z")
Um, yeah. Let’s go with, “first question OK, second question not so much.” So the GQ on the table is, “Is the active ingredient in marijuana also the ingredient that (fully or partially) gives smoked pot its distinctive scent?” We’ll leave the “and how do I do it otherwise” question to another board. (edited for punctuation) ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2002, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-smell-of-dope/110908/6 "2002-05-26T14:16:06Z")
As I recall from hash smoking days, the smell is the same. I don’t really know how hash is produced from pot, but since it is a more concentrated form of THC, it may be that the smell IS a characteristic of THC. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2002, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-smell-of-dope/110908/7 "2002-05-26T14:42:06Z")
I immediately thought of making flying model airplanes. I’ll go away now. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2002, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-smell-of-dope/110908/8 "2002-05-26T18:47:34Z")
I have refined cannabis oil to the point that the characteristic odour is gone. (I love Canada, where you can do things like that within the limits of the law, in certain circumstances.) I found that smoking a cigarette laced with such oil raised no eyebrows, even during intermissions at the VSO. But then, this _is_ Vancouver, so it’s possible that no eyebrows would have been raised in any case. Some of the other smokers were even smoking Cuban cigars. _Right out in the open._ :eek: ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2002, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-smell-of-dope/110908/9 "2002-05-26T19:42:19Z")
Nosewitnesses and eyewitnesses have told me that use of a certain aromatherapy device has shown that the active ingredient is not the part that makes the familiar smell. In short, these witnesses felt the effects but did not smell the smoky aroma. No product name, no instructions. Manhattan, are we still under the wire?